|
|
|
Monkey Spanner perform
a 'hand-picked' selection of classic songs and instrumental hits,
from the following musical styles;
|
|
|
A Very Brief History of Jamaican
& British Ska
Like mento (a jamaican folk music), that
came before it, ska was born out of combining musical elements.
Both mento and jazz were combined to produce a new style. With
the popularity of American R&B artists like Fats Domino,
many Jamaican performers incorporated the 12 bar blues chord
progressions and boogie bass lines with mento guitar rhythms.
Increasing emphasis was placed on the offbeat rhythms of mento.
The offbeats became shorter and more detached. These distinct
syncopated rhythms were sounded on guitar and piano/organ. The
new style of music became known as ska. The first person to
record this 'ska' rhythm was Clue J when performing with the
Blues Busters. Clue J would greet his friends with a call of
'Skavoovie'. Many believe the name of ska is a shortened form
of his greeting.
Early ska dance movements and some lyrics
were influenced by the religious revival era. Songs such as
'Wings of a Dove' performed by both The Blues Busters and The
Wailers, 'Israelites' by Desmond Dekker also features revival
characteristics in the lyrics. Other ska lyrics were either
nonsense lyrics such as Eric Morris' 'Humpty Dumpty' and 'Solomon
Gundie' or romantic such as Delroy Wilsons' 'Dancing Mood',
which was one of the first songs to bridge the gap between ska
and it's slower successor Rocksteady (more later). In stark
contrast are the political ska lyrics that reflected the social
concerns of rude boys.
The BIRTH OF BRITISH SKA
Ska came to England with the immigrants of the early 1960's
and was initially known as 'Bluebeat'. The first international
ska hit was 'My Boy Lollipop' by Millie Small. It was recorded
in England in 1964 for Island Records and featured a young English
Mod Rod Stewart, just beginning his own music career on Harmonica.
Ska gained popularity amongst the Mod, Scooter & Skinhead
scenes and several hits followed including 'Guns of Navarone'
by the Skatalites and 'Rudy, A Message to You' by Dandy Livingstone.
In 1969, 'The Israelites' by Desmond Dekker became the first
Jamaican produced recording to become a number one hit in Britain.
Other big ska chart hits in 1969 included 'Monkey Man' by Toots
and the Maytals, 'Long Shot Kick De Bucket' by The Pioneers
and 'Liquidator' by The Harry J Allstars. It is interesting
to note that these hits had all been recorded several years
earlier in Jamaica and gradually crept into the UK charts over
a long period of time.
|
|
|
A Very Brief History of Reggae
As far as Jamaican record-buyers are
concerned, the word reggae was coined on a 1968 Pyramid dance
single, "Do the Reggay" by Toots and the Maytals.
Some say the term is derived from Regga, the name of a Bantu-speaking
tribe on Lake Tanganyika. Others say it is a corruption of "streggae,"
Kingston street slang for a lady of the night. Bob
Marley claimed the word was Spanish in origin, meaning "the
king's music." "It's a description of the beat itself,"
says Hux Brown, lead guitarist on Paul Simon's 1972 reggae-flavored
hit, "Mother and Child Reunion," and the man widely
credited with inventing the one-string quiver/trill that kicked
off Simon's single as well as many of the top island hits of
the preceeding years.
|
|
|
A Very Brief History of Two-Tone
In 1979 ska enjoyed a revival of popularity.
Initially the ska revival was an English phenomenon, but gradually
spread to the rest of the world. The most notable bands associated
with the second wave of ska popularity were The Specials, Madness,
The Beat, and The Selecter. All these bands recorded their first
albums for 'Two Tone Records', a label established by The Specials
keyboard player Jerry Dammers. The label was named after the
two tone tonic suits worn by the original ska stars of the 1960's
and also reflected the multi racial membership of the bands
signed to the label. The trade mark of the company was based
on a negative photo of Peter Tosh from an early Wailing Wailers
album cover. This 'Rude Boy' logo became affectionately known
as Walt Jabsco.
The Two Tone artists relied heavily on
the first wave ska stars attitudes and philosophy. The Specials
took their name from the 'special' one off recordings made for
the early sound system operators in Jamaica and 'Madness' are
named after a Prince Buster song. The bands did not attempt
to conceal their musical dependence either. They quite rightly
believed that if it was a good song you might as well play it.
At the time, some fans believed that the cover versions were
actually originals.
The popularity of these cover versions
led to a demand for the original recordings and suddenly Symarip's
'Skin head Moonstomp' was in the charts exactly ten years after
its first release. Also interesting is the fact that Prince
Buster has made more money from royalties paid by cover artists
than he ever made from his own single and album sales.
The bands also paid tribute to the original
ska performers by using musical material from the original recordings.
This music was adapted, rearranged and used as the basis of
a new tune. Sometimes, just the lyrics of songs were used to
inspire a new song.
Despite the fact that it relied on pre-existing
ska songs, the sound of the Two Tone era was fresh and new.
The punk rock era had set new musical rules and second wave
ska incorporated this energy. Two Tone recordings are characterised
by faster tempos, fuller instrumentation and a harder edge than
original 60's ska. All the Two Tone bands were young and from
working class backgrounds and so the lyrics reflect their concerns:
school, work, politics, crime, racism and having fun.
|
|
|
A Very Brief History of Ska-Soul
Their is no real 'history' of Ska-Soul
because it was invented, fine-tuned and perfected by the 'Spanners'
themselves. The title comes from the 'Spanners' very own versions
of some classic soul numbers, blended with soulful brass vibes,
a hint of reggae feel and just an emphatic touch of ska added
for good measure - The result is 'Ska-Soul'. Now you can marvel
at all-time favourite hits like; I Feel Good - James Brown,
Get Ready - The Temptations, I Spy (For The FBI) - Jamo Thomas,
Walking on Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves and I'm In The Mood
For Love - The Four Aces/Louis Armstrong all given the 'Ska-Soul'
treatment by the 'spanners'.
|
|
|
|
A Very Brief History
of Rocksteady
All through the early Sixties,
ghetto areas like Trenchtown, Greenwich Town, and Riverton City
in Jamaica, were filling up with young people, looking for work
they couldn't find. They didn't dance to ska like everybody else,
their movements were slower, more menacing in posture.. In a Jamacian
society which denied their identity, they sought solace in the
group identity of 'rude boys'. Being a rude boy was a way of being
somebody, when the wider society was telling you that you were
nobody.
They connected with the
so-called 'underworld', a layer of people who, to all intents
and purposes, lived outside the law, and who have always patronised
Jamaican dance music. Thence many rude boys moved into the political
gangs, based in different ghetto areas of Kingston. the music
acknowledged them, even celebrated them, in discs like The Wailers'
'Jailhouse' and The Clarendonians' 'Rudie Bam Bam'.
In turn the music itself
began to cool down from the frenzied 'jump-up' of ska. The bassline
no longer walked the ska boogie; it began to break up, coming
in shorter patterns of notes. The after beat was still there,
carried by the guitar and drums. This 'rude boy' music became
widely known as rocksteady.
Several producers and artists
claim to be the first to have made a rocksteady record -- Roy
Shirley cut 'Hold Them' in 1966 for producer Joel Gibson (aka
Joe Gibbs). Derrick Morgan cut "Tougher Than Tough"
for Leslie Kong the same year and 'Girl I've Got A Date' for producer
Duke Reid. Reid was the producer who capitalised on this musical
advance, who did more than anyone to define the sound. Duke issued
records not only with Alton Ellis, but also with superb harmony
trios like the velvety-smooth Paragons featuring John Holt, who
later emerged as a solo performer with hits like 'Hurt's So Good',
The Mighty Melodians as well as The Silvertones, The Jamaicans
and many others. In musical terms the rocksteady phase lasted
little more than a year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
How
to dance the SKANK
|
To do the classic, authentic skank, follow
these simple steps:
Step One:
Bend Forward
Get that stiffness out of your spine, hang forward, but not too
far, and get those arms and knees loose.
Step Two:
Bend Knees and Elbows
Bend your elbows and clench your fists if you want to get that
real rude attitude. Try to look more like you're getting ready
to go sprinting rather than skiing.
Step Three:
Claim Your Space
Get those feet shoulder-length apart, move one foot slightly forward,
and take up as much of the dance floor as you can while you start
your arms cranking back and forth. It might help if you pretend
your shaking some maracas.
Step Four:
Start Moving
Feel the beat. Get those arms swinging slightly and feel the bounce
as you swing your hips. Move your weight from one foot to the
other with each skank. Make sure you coordinate your arms and
legs. If your right fist is moving forward, you should also be
moving your right knee forward as you shift your weight. Then
shift to the left.
Step Five:
Skank to the Beat
Now start to vibe with some classic ska sounds. If you're doing
a classic skank, your feet should not be moving too much. Rather,
you should be bouncing with the upbeats and cranking those elbows.
For added style, get a real cool expression and stare somewhere
off in the upper corner of the room. Preferably with shades.
Here's
a review of some of the added variations in the skank's brief
but great history:
Rocksteady:
Steady Rock Easy
For the more mellow rocksteady era, you'll want more of a pose,
less movement in the arms and legs ('cause it too HOT!) and most
of your expression coming from your hips.
Skinhead Stomp
When you're ready to strap on your braces and Doc Martens, you
can add more of a snarl and a bit more machoism and testosterone
(yes, even you skinhead gals) to the classic skank. The stomp
comes in when you really lift those boots off the ground and start
thomping with the more uptempo rhythms of early reggae.
|
| |
|
|
Two Tone:
Kick-starting the 80s Skank
Here's the classic "rudeboy" skank that most young
ska fans today know. As ska mixes with the tempo of punk, you'll
be adding a kick forward with every beat. You'll have more of
a skip and a hop in there as you emulate your favorite British
ska idols.
Ska-core:
Slam and Mosh
When the skank hits the States, the more hardcore fans take
more from the punk/metal moshpit then they do from Kingston
style. This is where you really start to see some dance culture
clashes on the club floors.
Third Wave:
That "Running in Place" Thing
Ah, the great mystery of the 90s. Little skasters jogging in
place as fast as they can. Somewhere in there, there is still
some slight evidence of the skank, and therefore, some hope.
Remember,
though, that it's all about enjoying the music and 'Monkey Spanner'
can help you do that!
All Copyrights
Acknowledged - Monkey Spanner 2007
|
|
